


Sureness

by puddinghead



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Blood and Injury, Developing Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon, Sharing a Bed, Slow Build, it's endearing :), you know just dino being a mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-09-28 07:22:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20422130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puddinghead/pseuds/puddinghead
Summary: Dino and Basil have grown closer in the years since Tsuna became the Vongola boss. Now they're sent on a mission together that makes them realize just how close they really are.





	Sureness

**Author's Note:**

> Ah yes, my rarepair OTP: D84. I started shipping them years ago when I stumbled across some cute fanart, and to this day, I love them with all my heart. Maybe this is catering to a very small, specific audience, but I hope you can enjoy it nonetheless!

Dino stretched his arms out above his head as he stepped out of the restaurant. He had just finished lunch with Romario and some of his other subordinates and, right on time, the CEDEF driver pulled up in front of them.

“Dino, Romario!” Basil greeted, hopping out of the car with his usual brightness. “How was lunch?” He and Dino had been meeting up increasingly often in the past few years now that they both spent most of their time back in Italy. Sometimes they just grabbed meals together or sparred, but today was unfortunately all business.

Both men waved as he approached them. “It was great,” Dino said, patting his stomach with satisfaction. “Now I’m all ready to sit in a debriefing and digest.”

Basil nodded. “Thank you again for agreeing to this. My master is very grateful.”

Dino waved away the thanks as he motioned for Romario to take the front seat of the car, himself settling in the back with Basil. “It’s nothing! You know the Cavallone are always ready to help the Vongola.”

They started off towards CEDEF headquarters, the afternoon sun beating in through the car windows. Dino rolled down his window – “Whew, it’s hot, huh?” – and removed his jacket, revealing the intricate tattoos on his left arm. Basil cocked his head as he examined them.

“I’ve always thought your tattoos were so pretty,” he said airily, catching Dino off-guard.

“Oh, really?” he chuckled, holding his arm out for a better view. “Most people think they’re too much. But I’m proud of them.”

“You should be! They’re a part of who you are.” Basil reached out a hand and delicately traced the lines that ran down Dino’s wrist. “They show how much pride you take in your family; it’s really admirable.”

A wave of goosebumps danced up Dino’s arm at the touch, and a sudden redness dusted his cheeks. Basil’s finger paused on the back of his hand. “This one reminds me of my Rain Flame… Oh, are you cold? You have goosebumps!”

Dino cleared his throat. “It just, uh, really cooled down after I opened the window. Anyway, what about you?”

“Am I… Cold? No, I’m fine.”

“No no, I mean, would you ever think about getting a tattoo? You seem to like them.”

Basil pulled his hand back, filling Dino with both relief and disappointment that he pointedly swallowed down. “Hmm,” Basil thought aloud, “I’ve never considered it. But maybe… A dolphin? Or flames like yours… They’re so calming to look at.”

Before Dino’s mind could fully consider the possibility of them having matching tattoos, the car came to a stop in front of the CEDEF headquarters. They thanked the driver before filing into the building, full of all the quiet hustle and bustle of the mock company that hid the mafia business they were there for. When Dino, Basil, and Romario reached the designated meeting room, Oregano greeted them.

“Thanks for coming,” she said, primly adjusting her glasses. “Iemistu will be just a moment, so please take a seat.” She nodded to Basil before ushering them further into the room. The small meeting table was lined with core CEDEF members, including Lal Mirch near the front. The three newcomers sat themselves behind her. While Romario struck up a conversation with Turmeric, Dino picked up a pen from the table and started twirling it between his fingers. He looked over at Basil and then down to his arm resting on the table, and suddenly grinned.

“Hey, Basil. Give me your arm,” he said with the eagerness of a child about to hatch his latest scheme. Basil gave him a curious look, but held his arm out nonetheless. As he watched Dino touch the pen to his wrist, his eyes lit up.

“Are you drawing a tattoo for me?” he asked, now matching Dino’s excitement. Dino nodded, his tongue pressed against his teeth in concentration. He took Basil’s wrist to steady it, resting his thumb in the palm of his hand. With careful strokes of the pen, the shape of a dolphin breaching flame-like waves began to appear on Basil’s skin. Dino grinned, satisfied, as he finally held Basil’s arm out to admire his work.

“There! What do you think?”

Basil beamed down at the fluid lines decorating his wrist. “I love it! Wow, I can’t believe you did that so fast!”

“It came to me really naturally,” Dino said proudly. “I was just thinking about you – how bright and sure you always are, and how you have this tranquil fluidity, like rain, that makes me feel so…” He paused mid-sentence as his brain caught up to his words, and his eyes honed in on his fingers still wrapped around Basil’s wrist. Suddenly, his mind became a hot, hazy fog.

Made him feel so… What?

His thoughts were gratefully interrupted when Iemitsu walked in, apologizing loudly for being late. He strode to the front, laying some files and a laptop on the table. Dino flashed a smile – at least, he hoped it was a smile, and not an embarrassed grimace – at Basil before letting go of his arm and directing his full attention to Iemitsu. He could feel Basil’s gaze linger on him for a second longer before he did the same.

“Anyway, as you know, you’re all here to be briefed on the situation with some renegade members of the Vongola. They seem to be a small group who still believe in the ways of the Secondo, and recently, their numbers have been increasing. They’ve apparently been scouring the countryside looking for outcasts to join their ‘cause’ and wreaking havoc wherever they go.” Iemitsu pulled up a map on his computer, which was projected onto a screen behind him. “They’ve mostly been spotted in this area, so we’re assuming that’s more or less their headquarters. Which is exactly why the Cavallone have graciously accepted our request for help.”

Dino nodded. “My family has a small base in that area. I have to attend to some business there in a few days anyway, so I can also gather some info about this while I’m there,” he explained to the room.

“Right,” Iemitsu said. “Now, I was just going to have you gather information, like you said, but…” He rubbed his neck with a sigh. “Well, it seems like things over there are escalating more quickly than we thought. They’ve started to endanger the lives of civilians more and more, and I don’t want to risk anything bad happening while you’re there. So, I’ve decided to send Basil with you just in case.”

Both Dino and Basil straightened up in their seats. “Oh,” Dino said, (maybe just a touch too pleasantly) surprised, “great! We can cover twice as much ground that way.”

“Exactly. And you can back each other up in case things get rough. I’ll arrange for a place for him to stay–“

“That’s no problem; he can just stay with us. It’s my cousin’s place, and she loves company. I mean,” he added, turning to Basil, “if that’s okay with you?”

Basil smiled in reply. “That would be wonderful, thank you!” He looked back to Iemitsu. “Master, I’ll be happy to go along and find out as much as I can.”

Iemitsu nodded firmly. “You guys be careful. Everyone else, you’ll be here doing your own research and recording anything they send us. Now, here’s the information we have on this group as of now, so that we’re all prepared…”

–––

Several days later, Dino, Basil, and Romario were pulling up in front of a large house in the Italian countryside. They were greeted by a cheerful girl with rosy pink hair, who immediately wrapped Dino in a strong hug.

“It’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed. “Romario, too! And… You must be Basil, right? I’m Chiara!”

Basil took her extended hand. “Nice to meet you! Thank you so much for letting me stay here.”

“Of course!” Chiara chirped, leading them inside. “Any home of the Cavallone’s is a home of the Vongola’s.” The house was charming for how big it was; the hardwood floors and beamed ceilings exuded a warmth that was complemented by cozy armchairs and intricately-carved tables. They followed Chiara up a wide flight of old stairs that led to the second floor. She showed Romario into the first room, but as they approached the second door, she turned around.

“Sooo,” she said, drawing out the word in a way that made Dino nervous, “here’s the thing. There are lots of people in this house, right? And we thought it was just the two of you coming. But then you asked if Basil could stay, too, which is _totally_ fine! But there was kind of a scheduling conflict with another family member and well, we only have two empty rooms…”

For each word out of her mouth, a new butterfly erupted in Dino’s stomach. She was still explaining herself as she opened the door and led them inside, but all he could hear was the increasingly bassy thump of his heart.

“So, yeah, you’ll be sharing this room. But you guys are close, right? It’ll be fine!”

Basil gave her a reassuring smile as Dino still struggled to decide if he was angry or pleased, or both. “Yes, we’ll be fine,” Basil said calmly. “Thank you so much again for squeezing me in. It’s really lovely here.”

“Aw, Basil, you’re so sweet! I’m so glad you came along.” Chiara nudged Dino in the side as if to remind him that she was talking. “You guys get settled and we’ll let you know when dinner’s ready, okay? It shouldn’t be long.”

Basil gave an “okay” and Dino nodded vaguely as he surveyed the room. Sure, he reasoned, it only made sense. They weren’t about to make either of them sleep on a sofa downstairs, and it would be weird to make Romario share a room. But, as Basil shuffled by him to set his bag down and shot him a smile that made his breath catch in his throat, Dino had to wonder what kind of cruel test the universe was putting him through.

Luckily, Basil suggested that they give CEDEF a call to let them know that they’d arrived safely, which sounded like an excellent way for Dino to get his mind off of their current situation. Oregano answered the phone, though the reception was spotty at best.

“Can you hear us alright?” Basil asked. “The signal out here seems a bit weak.”

“Yes, we figured that might be an issue. It’s fine for checking in like this, but when you get too far out towards the mountains, it’ll likely become a dead zone.” There was a pause and the sound of files tapping on tabletop. “At any rate, I’m glad you’re there already. Get some rest for now, and then you can start investigating tomorrow.”

“My meeting’s at 1:00,” Dino finally chimed in, “so I figure I’ll poke around town looking for info beforehand, then meet up with Basil after.” Basil nodded, and Oregano hummed in agreement through the phone.

“That sounds good. Iemitsu wanted me to remind you both to not go looking for fights; please stay safe and lie low as much as you can. We’ll send you any additional information that comes our way.”

They said their goodbyes and hung up, leaving Dino and Basil sitting on the plush bed with nothing to do but wait for dinner. Before Dino could remember how distressed he’d been before the phone call, he noticed something on Basil’s forearm.

“Your tattoo’s still there,” he mused with a smile.

“Ah,” Basil said sheepishly, turning his arm wrist-up to reveal the faded marks. “Yes… I’ve been trying to keep it intact. It makes me happy.”

Dino couldn’t help the gentle smile and budding warmth that spread across his face. He touched Basil’s arm the same way that Basil had done to him a few days before, lightly tracing the worn-out ink. “Well, if you ever decide to get one for real, I’ll come with you. Maybe I’ll even get a little touch-up on mine.” He looked down at Basil’s face, but Basil was watching his fingers with a serene, captivated smile.

“I’d like that,” he said, still watching Dino’s hand. Dino took a deep breath; he imagined the lines he had drawn darker and full of color, something he’d created painted permanently on Basil’s wrist, and the thought made him almost dizzy with happiness. Before any of his thoughts came tumbling out – thank goodness – there was a knock at the door.

“Dinner’s ready, you guys! Come downstairs!”

Basil’s gaze snapped back up at the sound. He turned to look at Dino with an eager smile. “Wow, I didn’t realize how hungry I was! I can’t wait to eat.”

He bounced off the bed and Dino followed him to the door, food still far from his mind.

–––

Dino flopped down on the bed. “That was exhausting,” he groaned, though a smile betrayed his complaint. “I hadn’t seen everyone in so long that I forgot how much they can all _talk._” Basil chuckled and Dino sat up to look at him. “Chiara’s really taken a liking to you, huh?”

“Oh, you think so?” Basil asked, sitting on the bed next to him.

Dino sighed exasperatedly. “Basil, she was practically _interrogating _you! I thought you were never gonna finish your food because she kept making you answer questions.”

Basil just laughed. “She is very… Enthusiastic. It’s charming. But still, you’re right; it was a little exhausting.” He yawned, and Dino followed suit. It was late, after all, and they had a full day tomorrow. Dino got up and reached for his bag. As he pulled out a sleeveless shirt to change into, a troubling realization dawned on him.

“Um… Basil?”

“Yes?”

Dino swallowed meekly. “I just realized, uh… I usually just sleep in my underwear, and I didn’t know that we’d be sharing a bed, so…”  
Basil blinked, a blank expression on his face. “So do I,” he said casually. Dino felt his face grow a notch warmer than it already was.

“You… Do?”

“Yes,” Basil nodded, pulling something out of his bag. He held it up and Dino stared at it. “Under my yukata.”

It took a moment for Dino to process his words as he stared at the blue yukata in Basil’s hand, but once he did, he burst out laughing. Maybe it was because he was tired, maybe it was because he couldn’t tell if he was glad or disappointed, but he just laughed, and Basil didn’t know what was so funny.

–––

Dino awoke the next morning to the squeak of a faucet shutting off. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as his brain struggled for a few moments to recall where he was – and who he was with.

He looked up to see Basil stepping out of the bathroom. His hair, still dripping, was pushed out of his face, and the yukata hung lazily off of his body, tied loosely at his hips. His skin was glowing with a hot mist that seemed to envelop the entire room. Dino’s eyes widened. He didn’t know how long he’d been in denial; if you asked him, he’d probably deny ever _being _in denial. All the butterflies and flushed cheeks never seemed to add up in his mind, despite the distinct message his heart had been trying to send. But in that moment, as he watched Basil run a hand through his hair, watched his chest rise and fall as he took a breath, followed a water droplet as it trickled down the curve of his neck… Everything became incredibly clear. He parted his lips as if to say something as he met Basil’s crystal blue gaze. A warmth swelled forth from his chest; he felt oddly like the wind had been knocked out of him.

“Good morning! … Are you feeling alright? You look a bit startled.”

Dino sucked in a deep breath. “Yeah,” he exhaled, “I feel… Great, actually. I was just thinking how good a shower would feel.”

Basil smiled, relieved. “Oh, yes, it was so refreshing! I’m all done, so please go ahead.”

When Dino emerged from the shower, he found Basil already dressed and ready to go. He was rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt when he looked up at Dino.

“Do you feel better?” he asked with a beaming smile.

Dino sat down on the bed, shaking the towel through his mess of wet hair. “Yeah,” he smiled back, “that felt great. Are you heading out already?”

Basil nodded as he clipped his box weapon around his belt loop. “Yes. I want to see what I can find out from the morning crowd in town before heading out to the countryside.” He walked toward the door and turned to face Dino once more. “I hope your meeting goes well!”

Dino smiled softly. “Thanks. Be careful out there – I’ll catch up as soon as I can.”

Basil nodded and headed out the door. Dino heard him chatting with Romario for a moment before the front door closed, and he looked out the window to see a motorcycle disappearing down the road. He fell back on the bed and swung an arm across his face, covering his wide smile.

–––

It was around 4:00 when Dino finally arrived back at the house. Chiara couldn’t help but laugh when he and Romario simultaneously yawned.

“Long meeting?” she asked, holding the door for them. They both nodded.

“It was mostly just general stuff,” Dino explained, rolling his shoulders, “but there was a _lot _to go over. I don’t get out to this region much, so I think they really wanted to make the most of our time. Maybe I should come out here more often…” He looked around the living room at the various Cavallone members milling about. “Have you heard from Basil?”

Chiara shook her head. “The last thing I got was that message to all of us saying he was heading out toward the mountains. But he probably doesn’t have service out there.”

“Yeah,” Dino agreed, starting up the stairs. “I’m going to change and then go meet up with him.”

Glad to be back in normal clothes – he always found that suits made him feel kind of stiff – Dino climbed onto his motorcycle. He knew the area where Basil was supposed to be investigating and decided to retrace the steps he’d probably taken going out of town. However, after searching for over an hour with no sign of him, Dino was starting to feel uneasy. He gripped the handlebars a little tighter, his palms becoming clammy. Finally, far enough out that there were nothing but fields and trees sloping up toward the mountains, he spotted a black motorcycle at the side of the road. He brought his own to a quick stop next to it and hopped off. It was identical to the one he was riding, so it had to be Basil’s, but where was he? He was about to call out when someone beat him to it.

“Over here,” came the familiar voice, a heaviness to it that didn’t go unnoticed. Dino trotted toward a large tree a few meters from the road to find Basil sitting at its base, his legs stretched out in front of him and a tired smile on his face. “Sorry, I know we weren’t supposed to engage them…”

“Basil!” Dino gasped, furrowing his brow. “What are you…“ He trailed off as his eyes fell on Basil’s right leg; there was a jagged rip in his black pants at the thigh, revealing a thick pool of blood. His eyes widened and he immediately tore his jacket off to clean the wound. “What happened?”

Basil sighed heavily. “I came across a group of four renegades who matched the descriptions we were given. There was a civilian who they seemed to be trying to bargain with, but when he refused, they were going to kill him…” He winced as Dino pressed the jacket onto his leg. “I couldn’t just stand by, so I revealed myself and tried talking to them. I got some information, but things turned violent very quickly. I at least bought enough time for the man to escape, but…” He sighed again and looked down at his leg. “I couldn’t ride back like this, so I made my way here to where I left the motorcycle and trusted that you’d find me.”

“Of course I’d find you,” Dino said, gritting his teeth. Part of him wanted to chastise Basil for doing something so reckless, but he knew he would’ve done the same thing in his position. Basil felt Dino’s hand tremble slightly as he peeled back the frayed fabric of his pants to reveal more of the wound.

“Um… Is something wrong?”

Dino bit his lip as he inspected the deep cuts. “I was really worried,” he said, more quietly than he meant to. Basil wasn’t sure what to say; it was strange seeing Dino so serious. He thought that maybe he should apologize again, but before he knew it, Dino was reaching over him and draping his jacket around his shoulders. He then slid an arm under Basil’s legs and the other behind his back, and hoisted him off of the ground. When Basil gasped and looked up at Dino’s face, he was surprised to see a smile so gentle it made his heart skip a beat.

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Basil smiled back at him. “Thank you,” he said softly. As Dino carried him back toward the motorcycles, Basil couldn’t help but chuckle a little. “This reminds me of when we first met. It feels like it was so long ago.”

Dino echoed his laughter. “It really does, huh? I remember being amazed that you weren’t in worse shape after fighting Squalo. But now I know how strong you are.” He gingerly set Basil down on the back of his bike and settled in front of him. “Hold on,” he said, and when Basil wrapped his arms around his waist, he had to bite back a content sigh. As they started off down the road, Basil looked out at the countryside, now bathed in the beginnings of the sunset’s orange haze.

“Back then,” he said, watching the trees as they blurred by, “you had no idea who I was. Things were so mixed up with the Varia at the time that it was hard to tell whose side everyone was on, but you trusted me. You saved me.” He leaned forward and let his forehead rest on Dino’s back. “Thank you.”

Dino took in a long breath. Although the wind was whipping at his face, he felt a deep warmth radiate all the way out to his ears. The wind wasn’t the only thing causing the pink tint to his cheeks.

–––

When they walked into the house, Chiara, Romario, and a few others were gathered in the entryway waiting for them. Chiara immediately ran to them, but gasped when she saw the bloody jacket.

“Oh my gosh! What happened? Are you okay?”

Dino continued up the stairs without stopping, again carrying Basil in his arms. “He’s okay,” he said over his shoulder, “but we need medicine. Romario, could you bring me some?”

Romario nodded, sharing the others’ concerned looks. Basil waved at them from the top of the stairs. “I’m fine, really,” he assured before they turned into their room.

Dino sat Basil on the bed and threw his jacket on the floor. Romario quickly brought the medicine, along with a roll of bandages, and made sure they’d tell him if they needed anything else before heading back downstairs. Dino turned back to Basil, medicine in hand, and upon seeing the wound in better light, he fell into an intense concentration.

“This looks a lot worse than I thought. I don’t know what kind of weapon this was, but it did a lot of damage. I’ll have to get the rest of the blood cleaned up before I apply the medicine. It should take effect pretty quickly, but it’s going to sting a lot at first. These slashes look really deep, so we’ll need to–“

“Um, Dino…”

Dino blinked up at Basil to see a slight pink tinge to his face. Confused, he looked down at his hands and registered belatedly that he was – oh my god – in the middle of very quickly and aggressively undoing the button on his pants. He jumped back, his arms flying out and a crimson heat rocketing up through his neck and face.

“I-I’m sorry, I was just, just so focused on your leg and I, I needed to get to the wound so I just, without thinking–“

Basil chuckled, carefully standing up. “It’s okay. But I think I can take my pants off by myself.”

Mortified, Dino went to the bathroom to wet some towels and try to compose himself while Basil undressed. When he returned, he made painfully sure to focus _solely _on his leg, gently cleaning up the now-dried blood. He spread the medicine in thick smears over the cuts, grimacing when he heard Basil breathe in sharply through his teeth at the pain. As he rubbed small circles into the skin with his thumb, he couldn’t help but savor the feeling. Basil’s skin was so smooth, his muscles so firm. He watched the medicine glide across the skin and felt a calmness wash over him.

“… Dino? The bandages?”

He snapped back to reality at the sound of his name. Suddenly embarrassed at how he’d been zoning out and absentmindedly rubbing Basil’s thigh – which sounded infinitely worse when he broke it down in his head – Dino sheepishly apologized and grabbed the bandages with more fervor than was necessary. He quickly, but neatly, wrapped the wound before wiping his hands on his discarded jacket.

“Thank you. I’m sorry about your jacket…” Basil said guiltily, looking from the splotches of medicine to the sizable bloodstains.

Dino just shook his head. “It’s no problem. This thing’s so old, I’m surprised it didn’t have more stains already.” He tossed it back on the ground and stretched his arms over his head. As he breathed in, he noticed the smell of food wafting into the room. Right on cue, there was a knock at the door.

“Dino, Basil, is everything okay in there? We just made dinner!”

“I’ll be right down,” Dino called, and turned back to Basil. “You shouldn’t move around, so why don’t you lie down and I’ll bring some food up for you?”

“That would be great, thank you. I’ll just change into my night clothes…” Basil rose from the bed and took a step forward, but a jolt of pain surged up through his leg. Dino rushed forward just in time to catch him as he staggered. He looked down at Basil, who was clutching onto the front of his shirt, and for once, their flushed faces matched in intensity.

“So,” Dino said, clearing his throat, “can I help this time?” They both laughed, and Basil nodded, steadying himself on the bedpost. Dino went around the bed and brought over his yukata. He felt like he was holding his breath as he watched Basil unbutton his shirt. Basil looked up and met his gaze, and Dino hurriedly looked away. His stomach churned nervously as the shirt dropped to the ground. Basil held out one arm at a time and Dino slowly – much more slowly than he needed to – slipped the yukata onto him. As he folded the front closed, his knuckle brushed against Basil’s chest, and both of them shuddered. Basil let out a small breath; Dino licked his lips. He reached around Basil’s waist to tie the sash. It was so quiet. Neither of them moved.

“Basil,” Dino finally said into the thick silence. Their eyes met, and if Dino had any apprehensions about what he about to say, they melted away. “You know how you said that when we first met, I just… Trusted you?” Basil nodded, searching Dino’s eyes for his next words. “Well, it was the same as when I drew your tattoo. It’s just a feeling I get from you. This… Sureness.” He reached down and took Basil’s wrist in his hand. The ink had finally faded, but Dino brushed his thumb over where the lines used to be. He remembered every stroke.

“We’ve been friends, and worked together, for a long time. But this…” He chuckled, looking around at their shared bedroom. “I think this made me realize how much I really cherish that feeling. That’s why I was so worried when I saw you were hurt. But I want you to know… You can always trust that I’ll find you when you need me.”

There was silence again. Dino couldn’t quite read Basil’s expression, and that made his composure begin to slip away at an alarming rate. He cleared his throat and scratched at his neck nervously. “Uh, sorry, was that too serious? Maybe I should’ve said that earlier, when we were talking about that stuff, but I guess I just wanted to get your leg cleaned up and uh–“

Basil laughed, a clear, radiant laugh that took any remaining words right out of Dino’s mouth. Basil looked up at him, a calm delight shining in his eyes. “I cherish you, too, Dino,” he said, and Dino must have looked completely dumbfounded because Basil let out another soft laugh. “I’ve always thought it was funny how you can be so cool, but at the same time, rather… Clumsy.” He brought a hand to Dino’s thoroughly flushed face. “And also rather… Transparent, in some ways. So,” he said, pushing himself up on tip-toe and holding onto him for support, “I hope you don’t mind if I do this.” He leaned in closer, so close that Dino felt a chill fly up his body, and delicately touched their lips together. It was so soft, so tender, and it made something amazing and bright burst in Dino’s chest. Before his mind could catch up, his arms were wrapping around Basil’s waist and he was returning the kiss with a fierceness he had never felt before. He kissed him and kissed him until his lungs were filled with starlight instead of air, and when he pulled back, he was met with a smile that pierced his heart like lightning.

“Basil,” he said with a breathless giddiness, “I wouldn’t mind if you did that _all_ the time, actually!” They beamed at each other for a moment before Dino frowned a little. “Was I really that obvious, though?”

Basil laughed. His eyes were twinkling, and Dino felt those sparks ignite fireworks in his veins. They both leaned in again, their lips ghosting over one another’s for just a second before meeting again.

–––

“Thank you so much!” Basil said to Chiara, taking her hand. “I truly appreciate you accommodating me.”

He was supported by Romario, who also expressed his gratitude. Dino was making his way around to the rest of his family members, shaking hands and saying goodbyes. Chiara waved emphatically, brushing off the thanks. “I promise, it was nothing! I love having guests! Heal up and come back soon, okay?”

Basil agreed that he would before he and Romario made their way to the car. Dino came up beside Chiara and watched them.

“So you told CEDEF all about what happened?” Chiara asked.

“Yeah, we called them last night. Seems like things are worse than we thought, so you might be seeing more Vongola around here soon.”

He turned to face her and she pulled him into a tight hug. “Well, tell them they always have a place to stay here.” Then, more deviously, “Even if they have to share a room.” Dino tried to hide his blush with a discreet cough. “Really, though” she continued, resting a hand on her hip, “Basil’s super cute. You’re lucky.”

Dino could _not_ hide the small choking noise that came up from his throat. “I– What?”

“Come on, give me some credit. How long have I known you? I see the way you look at him. And the way _he_ looks at _you. _And,” she added, leaning in dramatically, “I don’t know what took you so long to come get dinner last night, but I have a few guesses.”

Dino couldn’t form a response. He stared at her, open-mouthed, for another moment before she pushed him off toward the car.

“Bye, Basil!” she shouted cheerily. “It was great to meet you! Take good care of Dino for me!”

Basil laughed as Romario helped him into the car. “I will,” he called back with a smile, and despite the flush splattered across his face, Dino found himself beaming. He climbed into the backseat and looked at Basil, who was mirroring his sunny glow. He reached over and carefully covered Basil’s hand in his, weaving their fingers together.

“Dino?”

“Yeah?”

“As soon as my leg is healed, I think we should visit the tattoo parlor!”

**Author's Note:**

> ... Fellas is it gay to delicately trace your fingers along each other's tattoos?


End file.
